Habitat :Desmostachya bipinnata is native to northeast and west tropical, and northern Africa (in Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, and Tunisia); and countries in the Middle East, and temperate and tropical Asia (in Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand).Description:
Leaf blade width: 1–3 mm
Inflorescence branches: the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescenceSpikelet length: 4–10 mm
Glume relative length: neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
Awn on glume: the glume has no awn. One or more florets there is more than one floret per spikelet
Lemma awn length: 0 mm
Leaf ligule length: 0.6–1.5 mm
Anther length: 0.6–1.2 mm

Medicinal Uses:
In folk medicine, Desmostachya bipinnata has been used variously to treat dysentery and menorrhagia, and as a diuretic.

Ayurvedic Applications: Root-dysentery, menorrhagia, other bleeding disorders like hemorrhoids, purpura, etc. Used as an infusion.

Religious.
Desmostachya bipinnata has long been used in various traditions as a sacred plant. According to early Buddhist accounts, it was the material used by Buddha for his meditation seat when he attained enlightenment.The plant was mentioned in the Rig Veda for use in sacred ceremonies and also as a seat for priests and the gods. Kusha grass is specifically recommended by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita as part of the ideal seat for meditation.Other Uses: It has been planted widely to reclaim eroded soils. Birds and small mammals feast on its ripe seeds, and livestock graze young plants. This grass also supports a diverse insect fauna including cinch bugs, seed bugs, leafhoppers, and turtle bugs.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

The purple flowered species is most common. The traditional healers and natives specialised in medicinal uses of Bhatkatiya give preference to white flowered species. In reference literatures related to different systems of medicine in India, not much has been written on this white flowered species. Also, in reference literatures on botany, very little information is available. It is common belief among natives that the presence of white flowered species in wild indicates the presence of secret treasure around it. Many old natives informed that one can see this species in old forts and palaces, where according to belief, the secret treasures still exist. The natives involved in Tantra activities, consider the white flowered species most valuable.

The crude drug extracts caused transient hypotensive effect which is partly inhibited by atropine. The gluco alkaloid, saponin and resin fraction increased the force of contraction of isolated frog’s heart and caused gradual rise in blood pressure levels. The alcoholic leaf extract, resinous and crystalline fi-acons caused contraction of dog tracheal chain while the glucoalkaloid and alcoholic stem extract after initial potentiation caused refractoriness to the constrictor responses of acetylcholine and histamine. Histamine releasing effects have been shown.

Roots are one of the constituents of Dasamulasava. The plant is useful in fever, cough, asthma, constipation. Seeds are used as diuretic. The juice of the berries is reported to he useful in sore throat. A decoction of plant is used in gonorrhoea and it also said to promote conception in females. A. clinical trial showed kantakari to be useful in cases of Kasa Roga (cough) and also in Tamakswasa (bronchial asthma). The plant has a definite effect in diminishing the intensity of cough and dyspnoea.

Medicinal Uses:
In Ayurveda, this herb has several uses. It is used for treating the following ailments:
Asthma, catarrh ,chest pains ,chronic fevers, colic ,cough, dry and spasmodic ,edema, gas, scorpion stings ,toothache, difficult urination, worms.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Common Names: Arjuna or Arjun tree in English, Thella Maddi in Telugu and Marudha Maram in Tamil.

Habitat : Arjuna is native to Indian Subcontinent. The arjuna is usually found growing on river banks or near dry river beds in West Bengal and south and central India. It grows all over India,Burma,Bangladesh and Srilanka.

Description:Arjuna is a large sized deciduous tree. Height of this plant is around 60-80ft with spreading branches. Bark smooth and flower is sessile type with often buttressed trunk, smooth grey bark, and drooping branchlets. Leaves; sub opposite, hard, oblong or elliptic, 10-20 cm long. Terminalia Arjuna Flowers; yellowish white. Fruits; 2.5-5 cm long, obvoid-oblong, with 5-7 equal, hard, leathery appearance, thick narrow wings, their striations curving upwards. Terminalia Arjuna Flowers in March to June and fruits in September to November.

Cultivation Method: after collection of nature fruits dried into sunlight & then stored up to 6-12 months. Seeds are pretreated by soaking in water for 48 hrs before sowing in beds. 8-9 months old seedlings are better to transplant in the field.Useful Parts: Every parts useful medicinal properties Arjun holds a reputed position in both Ayurvedic and Yunani Systems of medicine. According to Ayurveda it is alexiteric, styptic, tonic, anthelmintic, and useful in fractures, uclers, heart diseases, biliousness, urinary discharges, asthma, tumours, leucoderma, anaemia, excessive prespiration etc. According to Yunani system of medicine, it is used both externally and internally in gleet and urinary discharges. It is used as expectorant, aphrodisiac, tonic and diuretic.Chemical Constituents: A glucoside – arjunetin – has been isolated from bark. Recently new flavance – arjunone has been isolated from fruits alongs with cerasidin, ?-sitosterol, friedlin, methyl oleanolate, gallic, ellagic and arjunic acids.
Principal Constituents ÃŸ-sitosterol, ellagic acid, and arjunic acid.

Ayurvedic Formulations: Arujanarishta, Arjunghrita, Arjunakhsirpak, Arvindasava, Devadarvy – arishta etc.Medicinal uses: Arjuna (Kakubhah) is cooling and checks heart diseases, Haemorrhagic consumption and poisons (Toxaemia). It is useful in obesity (Medas) and in Diabetic wounds. It is astringent and checks Kapha and Pitta. As an astringent, it is used in tooth powders. Action:– Cardiac tonic.

Ayurvedic Uses:– It is a reputed heart tonic of the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia. It is observed large doses to depress the heart. Small doses taken over a long period with sugar and ghee steadily improves the condition of the heart giving it strength. It is used as a powder either alone or in combination with other herbs. This pure dried Arjun bark can be made into a tea by steeping for 10 minutes in hot water. The bark can be re used 3 times if carefully dried between use.Powdered from bark is used as astringent, cardiac tonic & asthma. Leaf juice is used to cure blood dysentery.
The bark of tree is a cardiac stimulant and has a cooling and tonic effect. It is useful in arresting secretion or bleeding. It helps to relieve fever. It is also useful in removing calculi or stones formed in the urinary system, in promoting flow of bile and in the healing of wounds. Asthma, acne, diarrhea or dysentery, earache.

The bark is useful as an anti-ischemic and cardioprotective agent in hypertension and ischemic heart diseases, especially in disturbed cardiac rhythm, angina or myocardial infarction. The bark powder possesses diuretic, prostaglandin enhancing and coronary risk factor modulating properties. It apparently has a diuretic and a general tonic effect in cases of cirrhosis of the liver.Other Uses: Recommended for reclamation of saline, alkaline soils and deep ravines. Used for agro and social forestry. Timber is locally used for carts, agricultural implements, water troughs, traps, boat building, house building, electric poles, tool-handles, jetty-piles and plywood. Fodder is useful for tassar silkworm. It is one of the major tannin yielding trees. Bark (22 to 24%), leaf (10 to 11%) and fruit (7 to 20%) contains tannins.

The arjuna is one of the species whose leaves are fed on by the Antheraea paphia moth which produces the tassar silk (tussah), a wild silk of commercial importanc.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care providerResources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminalia_arjuna
www.mapbd.com and amazon.com,
http://www.bicco.com/herb_photo.html
http://www.bssmworld.com/herbal_health/terminalia_arjuna.htm